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Topic: TRU Exclusive Clones! (Read 9134 times)

I still don't understand why these are exclusives. Ok, I get that Hasbro/TRU can crank the price, knowing we'll buy these, but they also know that any clone, whatever the color, is like money in the bank. Would you want 50,000 of them out there, or 100,000? More? These colors would sell forever as part of any future assortment.

This confuses me as well. There four key designs that were in the movie that could easily be applied to the SA Clone (#41) and those variations could be shipped from now until the end of time and they would STILL sell. If the line is indeed going back to a unified Saga banner, just keep shipping the ROTS SA Clone in every other assortment and then vary the paint op, make full count production runs of each variant and just ship the **** out of it. Why pull punches like this on something that is truly "money in the bank"?

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Peter

Letting my collecting OCD get the better of me on a DAILY basis... and loving EVERY minute of it!

The best Idea I've heard on this so far is the thought of these being 3 SA Clones in an Evolutions style box (hopefully with the right gear and stuff)... I hadn't even considered the Evolutions boxes as really being made for 3 figures and stuff...

That's ideal thinking, unless you consider ideal to be the 3 SA guys in a small package (with just rifles)... I'd love that Evolutions sort of idea, but not under the Evolutions title. That'd be rather neat.

My ideal would be three SAs side-by-side in the bubble on a normal Deluxe card.

The packaging on the Evolutions is overkill, especially for an army building set where 80% that are sold will be ripped open anyway -- carded collectors only need one, but openers will buy multiples. And it could shave a buck or two off the retail price.

Besides, these clone sets aren't truly Evolutions since it's three of the same type of trooper.

I'm gonna wait to say anything about these. I figure they'll most likely be shown at Comic Con and THEN I'll have something to say.

EDIT:

Thought I would elaborate on my non-statement.

First, I've seen a few too many reports of things we'd like to see turn out to be the result of poor reporting. How many times have we been told the Cloud Car was on the way? Or more recently, what about the case of one collecting site that reported Hasbro stated at Toy Fair '05 that there would be a prequel equivalent of the VOTC line? Instances like these can give one cause to be skeptical. The situation is compounded even more since Hasbro has been playing things so close to the vest since about 2001.

There is an upside. The Clones described in these sets are the most signifigant in REVENGE OF THE SITH, so from that standpoint these particular Clone Troopers make sense.

So what if the report is true? Then we get into the very murky area of how will these Clone Troopers be presented? The fact is that there have been a number of different 3-packs in the Hasbro Star Wars line over the years. Just look at some of them:

-Cinema Scenes - These were in the POTF2 and EPISODE I lines. They depicted a specific scene, and had an accompanying title, much like the titles that rs reported in their article. The packaging on these is also similar to the more current EE exclusive Clone Trooper 4-packs.-Screen Scenes - The SAGA equivalent of Cinema Scenes but packaged in a more three-dimensional fashion.-Clone Wars Army Builder Sets - The first incarnation of the deluxe 3-packs that are now shipping in the ROTS Deluxe assortment.-ROTS Deluxe Clone Trooper 3-Packs - The same product as the Clone Wars 3-packs, just in new paint schemes with new helmets.-ROTS Evolutions - 3-Packs of well articulated figures.

The next issue is price point. All of these products have shipped at a variety of pricepoints. Once again that's an issue that the rs article was not able to confirm, and as a result we're only left to speculate.

Then figure in the exclusivity factor. Hasbro has come to see that collectors would spend $13.99 for a single, exclusive Clone Trooper in a protective package. Exclusives have ranged in price from $9.99 to $30+ for the EE Clone Trooper 4-pack. Where will these sets fall? Nobody knows outside of Hasbro and Toys R Us.

Now, rs DID editorialize that they THINK these sets may be repaints of the ROTS Deluxe 3-packs. Once again, more speculation and no hard facts.

The whole situation is certainly interesting, but it also has the potential for people to get their wheels spinning in anticipation of a product that we may or may not get. That's one of the reasons why I'm skeptical and I've adopted a wait and see attitude. There are just far too many variables to make any kind of definitive statement on these 3-packs.

My ideal would be three SAs side-by-side in the bubble on a normal Deluxe card.

The packaging on the Evolutions is overkill, especially for an army building set where 80% that are sold will be ripped open anyway -- carded collectors only need one, but openers will buy multiples. And it could shave a buck or two off the retail price.

Besides, these clone sets aren't truly Evolutions since it's three of the same type of trooper.

Part of me thinks that's the best option too... 3 SA's on a deluxe card with just the right gun (rifle, given that we have a ton of the carbine at this point). But the idea of the Evolutions styled box (not "Evolutions" figures though, just a reuse of that packaging style) would be ideal if you were getting MORE accessories... Just thinking outside the box on that a bit, but not expecting it. But I could see zip-lines, a rocket launcher, various weapons...

I agree that the Evolutions packaging would be overkill if you got nothing additional in there... I saw the EE Clones as overkill on the packaging too, being something you couldn't buy on sight, and for army building... Selling it in a store makes the packaging slightly more important. I'd be more than happy with 3 SA's on a Deluxe cardback though, but I'd be ecstatic for 3 SA's in an Evolutions styled box with a ton of different gear... Just doubt it happens that way... The one thing I know I certainly hope not to see is the Deluxe Clones reused and that's seemingly everyone's first thought, so I'm not too pumped on this line right now... Should be interesting to see in the coming weeks (and/or months) what is what.

I still don't understand why these are exclusives. Ok, I get that Hasbro/TRU can crank the price, knowing we'll buy these, but they also know that any clone, whatever the color, is like money in the bank. Would you want 50,000 of them out there, or 100,000? More? These colors would sell forever as part of any future assortment.

Let's just hope there isn't a limited run, just because they are going to be exclusives doesn't automatically catagorize them as limited. I also think TRU does a better job with quantity in general.

Part of me thinks that's the best option too... 3 SA's on a deluxe card with just the right gun (rifle, given that we have a ton of the carbine at this point). But the idea of the Evolutions styled box (not "Evolutions" figures though, just a reuse of that packaging style) would be ideal if you were getting MORE accessories... Just thinking outside the box on that a bit, but not expecting it. But I could see zip-lines, a rocket launcher, various weapons...

Good idea, I hadn't thought of doing that!

Personally I'd still rather see just the figures with less packaging and less extras, but if they have to go for the Ev-style box, adding accessories and things would be the best bet to make it worth the extra dough.

Part of me thinks that's the best option too... 3 SA's on a deluxe card with just the right gun (rifle, given that we have a ton of the carbine at this point). But the idea of the Evolutions styled box (not "Evolutions" figures though, just a reuse of that packaging style) would be ideal if you were getting MORE accessories... Just thinking outside the box on that a bit, but not expecting it. But I could see zip-lines, a rocket launcher, various weapons...

Good idea, I hadn't thought of doing that!

Personally I'd still rather see just the figures with less packaging and less extras, but if they have to go for the Ev-style box, adding accessories and things would be the best bet to make it worth the extra dough.

Yeah I really wouldn't wanna pay $20 just for a box... If that's the case, 3 on a Deluxe card for $10 would be much better... or even $15. I dig weird accessories though and would love to see the Clone Mini-Gun, the rocket launcher... Perhaps more CW figures will surface someday (and not cartoon styled ones) with those weapons. I doubt it but I'd love to see it.

Looks like the trio of Clone Trooper 3-pack sets that were planned for Toys "R" Us this holiday season are not going to happen, as they have decided to pass on them. This is bad news for fans of army builders, but good news for those who want a little more articulation with their clones. Since the first two armor designs will be made in plastic, here's hoping Hasbro will make a running change for the Utapau colors as well.